The Principles of Gracie Jiujitsu

By Curtis Adams

Ever since Royce Gracie won three out of the first four Ultimate Fighting Championships, Brazilian jiu-jitsu academies have been springing up all over. You can find many different styles but Gracie Jiujitsu is probably the most famous. This discipline takes the martial art very seriously, and has at its core a philosophy on how to live one's life in order to achieve the best results on the mat, and how to be more complete as a human being.

The first principle of Gracie Jiujitsu is about control. In a fight, this involves being the one who will dictate what happens during the fight. Part of this is in physically controlling your opponent and restricting his movements to what you want him to do; the other part is the self-control that you need to impose upon yourself so that you can make the best choices to win the fight. This is personal training at its best, and it is part of a healthy lifestyle. It is expected that you are able to exercise enough control to eat properly and take care of your health.

The next principle of Gracie Jiujitsu involves patience. This is particularly important for a fighter, since so much that occurs in a fight can depend on timing and whether enough patience has been used. Patience is often rewarded, as opportunities are more likely to appear. For those who rush, bad decisions are more likely to occur. This philosophy is instilled from the beginning and it is expected that if you can be patient on the mat, then you will display the same quality in your life outside of the dojo.

The final of Gracie Jiujitsu principles is efficiency. This is particularly important for a fight, since the foundation of this discipline is built on the assumption that you will be fighting someone stronger and bigger than yourself. Jiu jitsu schools will often promote the idea that you drain your opponent of his or her energy while conserving your own strength in order to finish the fight. This applies to daily living as well, with the idea that you are able to maximize your results through an efficient application of effort, whether it is in business or social situations.

As you can see, Gracie Jiujitsu goes well beyond the mat, and really the only people who will succeed in this discipline are the ones who are able to live their lives according to the ideals that the discipline is based upon. Brazilian jiu jitsu academies are everywhere nowadays, and you can probably find one that won't require a commitment on your part to lead your life outside of the dojo according to the Gracie Principles. But whether that will result in you being a better fighter is unlikely, since how you are on the mat is not so different from how you are when off it. - 31497

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